More Than Fiends by Maureen Child Read Free Book Online Page B

amazing. There was just no way I could have denied their relationship even if I’d seen a chance at it. Which I didn’t.
    â€œYou should have told me,” Logan said.
    â€œYou should have told me, ” Thea said.
    â€œI need more chocolate,” I said and turned for the bag of kisses again.
    â€œDamn it, Cassie,” Logan continued, and his voice got a little louder, as if I were deaf along with inconsiderate, rude, thoughtless and—Oh hell, you get the idea. “In fifteen years, you couldn’t tell me I had a daughter? What the hell were you thinking?”
    I pointed to my mouth and made a really conspicuous chewing motion.
    â€œDon’t you yell at my mother,” Thea said hotly, giving her newly discovered, dear old dad a shot to the arm.
    Sugar whimpered and tried to crawl into my lap. Not easy, since I was still standing, leaning against the kitchen counter. I tore open her treat bag, gave her a couple Snausages and turned my attention back to the daughter I was never more proud of.
    â€œYou don’t know anything,” Thea continued, and her eyes flashed. “You haven’t been here. You don’t even know me. You can’t just walk in and start trying to take over or something. This is our house, and you can’t yell at my mother in our house.”
    Which cleared the way for him to yell at me anywhere else in La Sombra, but who was complaining?
    â€œI’m not yelling,” Logan shouted, then stopped to take a deep breath. “Thea, I just want to talk to your mother. Alone.”
    Glrrrkk… Never panic when chewing. I tried to swallow the last of the kisses, but they got stuck in the middle of my throat. I so wasn’t in the mood to talk to Logan, alone or otherwise. But clearly, he wasn’t going to let this go with a shrug and an “Isn’t this nice—I have a nearly grown daughter” thing, so since I couldn’t put it off, I might as well talk then as later.
    I slapped my hand against my chest, hoping to help that chocolate go down but only succeeding in drawing the attention of the other two people in the room. Finally, I managed to choke down the kisses enough to say, “Thea, why don’t you go over to Zoe’s house to study or something.”
    She scowled at me. “I finished my homework.”
    Of course she had. “Well, do Zoe’s, then. Go.”
    â€œFine.” She crossed her arms over a chest that hadn’t developed yet, much to her dismay, and gave her father a wary glance. “I’ll go. But I won’t be far.”
    Logan lifted both hands as if in surrender, which ordinarily would have been pretty funny. Today? Not so much.
    She turned and flounced through the living room, smacked the screen door open hard enough to bounce it off the wall of the house, then clomped down the front steps. My dainty little princess.
    Logan glanced at me. “Who’s Zoe and where does she live?”
    I really wished I could lift one eyebrow. I would have. He’d been a father for ten minutes, and he was asking questions?
    â€œZoe Cohen. Best friend. Across the street.”
    â€œOh. Okay.”
    â€œI’m so relieved that it’s okay with you, Logan,” I muttered and grabbed another fistful of kisses. A few minutes earlier I’d actually been feeling a little guilty. But irritation crowded out that emotion fast.
    â€œNo more candy,” he said, striding across the kitchen to whip the bag of kisses out of my reach. “You won’t talk if you’re eating.”
    I made a futile grab for the candy, but his arms were longer, and I came up empty. “For this kind of talk, I require chocolate.”
    â€œFor chrissakes, Cassie, I just found out I have a daughter. What the hell do you have to be upset about?”
    â€œThe fact that you’re standing in my kitchen springs to mind.” Not to mention the fact that despite being royally pissed, I could